Category: Staining

Good Bones

Facebook Marketplace can be a life saver. Maybe not so much for a human life but certainly for the life of unwanted furniture and household items. Take these two outdated end tables (or possibly night tables?) for example. The previous owners were practically giving them away at $7.50 each. Perhaps we are all guilty of forgetting a piece’s worth or potential after staring at it for many, many years. While the staining technique used on these tables is no longer in style, they are constructed quite solidly. In fact, loading them into my car and then back to the painting shed turned into quite a workout. These babies have some weight! To me that’s all the more reason to give them new life as much of the furniture mass produced in recent years cannot claim the same durability.

Unexpected Change of Course

My initial plan of action was a simple clean, light sand for the body, complete sand for the top, a couple coats of Fusion Mineral Champness for the body, and a restain for the tops with Fusion Mineral Cappuccino Stain & Finishing Oil. As the project progressed, I changed course a bit to accommodate some unplanned findings. First, while sanding the bodies lightly with 220 grit paper I began to consider the possibility of the speckles of very dark stain bleeding through the light blue paint. Rather than sanding down to bare wood I chose to use a product from Zinsser as a primer to block stains and seal knots. Second, I had planned to paint and reuse the original hardware but unfortunately one of the handles broke during removal. This turned out to be a good thing as I like the new handles far better. Handy hint, sign up for coupons from Hobby Lobby and use them to buy new hardware. Their selection is fantastic! Third, again something that turned into a good thing, I decided after two coats of Champness to go with a dry brush technique to finish the tables. What I hadn’t noticed when the tables were so darkly stained were the many dings on the bodies of the tables. And honestly, I loved the color and stain but overall the tables looked boring. So, in order to circumvent both of these issues I decided to dry brush the bodies with Fusion Mineral’s Lamp White – the same color I used for my kitchen cabinet redo. It’s a lovely pale gray, and I thought it would compliment the blue nicely. The dry brush technique helps hide the imperfections of the table and lends visual appeal. Not the original plan but flexibility saved the day!

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Valerie Lynn Peli

You're here!

My grandma used to say these words with full enthusiasm every time she opened the door upon our arrival. I feel the same enthusiasm at your arrival here at this blog. I feel so honored that you have taken the time to peek at my site! Creativity truly is the best therapy in life. We feel alive by doing, right? Hopefully something you see here will inspire you to check one of those home projects off of your to do list. I'll share my own projects here along with favorite products and easy to follow step by steps. Comments and interaction are encouraged. Let's create together!